There is an increasing demand for three dimensional (3D) video or image capture, as well as increasing demand for object tracking or object scanning. However, traditional methods of 3D imaging have significant drawbacks. LIDAR (light detection and ranging) systems are currently very expensive because they require precise assembly of expensive components. Additionally, because traditional 3D imaging systems require mechanical motion to scan the field of view, they tend to be bulky and power hungry.
A basic LIDAR system includes one or more light sources and photodetectors, a means of either projecting or scanning the light beam(s) over the scene of interest, and control systems to process and interpret the data. There are different technologies that can be applied for 3D imaging. Non-laser-based methods are based on stereoscopy or structured light, but they consume significant power to illuminate the entire scene at once, and work poorly in well-lit conditions such as bright daylight. Ultrasonic methods have relatively very poor spatial resolution. Laser light can be broadcast over the field of view, but then suffers from many shortcomings (power is used to illuminate the entire scene at once rather than being concentrated on one spot at a time, thus costing extra power), while directed laser light requires steering, which traditionally would rely on precision mechanical parts.
Descriptions of certain details and implementations follow, including a description of the figures, which may depict some or all of the embodiments described below, as well as discussing other potential embodiments or implementations of the inventive concepts presented herein.